To the Editor:
Catholics need to receive the Eucharist and God understands the situation right now, as do our clergy. We must be patient and follow their spiritual advice.
When I served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa, I was living way up in the mountains. Surrounding villages had no roads, but mere paths. A priest would travel through about every three months and hold Mass.
Yet, each village had a Sunday worship service without the holy Eucharist. There were Catholic song books, and Bible readings took place. The services were packed. When the priest did show up on horseback, the church-goers radiated a feeling of heightened joy.
This cycle of a faith community being on its own with periodic visits from a priest had been happening for decades, indeed for life spans up there in the isolated mountains. Not having regular access to Communion didn’t weaken their Christ-led lives.
As Christians, prayer and reflection draws us close to God. Yet, when Mass is held again, we too will experience a heightened joy. Be assured, we are not lost people until we have Communion again. We are God’s chosen people; God is with us.
John Clayton
Grinnell
